The invention relates to a housing, and in particular to a housing that automatically locks into a mounting structure. The housing may be for an automotive radio, and includes right and left sides on each of which is located one detent spring each projecting from the housing. The spring is retractable into the housing to enable insertion of the housing into a mounting frame or mounting slot, and which snaps in place behind a detent edge of the mounting frame or mounting slot.
German Patent 30 15 259 A1 describes a switchgear cubicle with a slide-in module. Rotatably attached to the slide-in module is a double-armed locking lever, on the front end of which is incorporated a U-shaped opening and on the back end of which is incorporated an indentation. The locking lever is retracted by a spring attached to the slide-in module against a stop located on the slide-in module. Also provided on the slide-in module is a rotary switch with a driving stem which, upon rotation of the rotary switch, engages the U-shaped opening of the locking lever, rotating the locking lever about its axis of rotation. In response to the rotation of the locking lever, its back end along with the indentation is slid through a cut-out in the wall of the switchgear cubicle so that the indentation in the back end of the locking lever snaps into the wall.
Automobile radios, for example, are often equipped with housings that have one detent spring each retractable into the housing on both the right and left sides, which project from the housing and enable insertion into the mounting frame or mounting slot, and which also enable unlocking. German Patents 92 06 965 U1 and 196 14 781 A1 disclose an automobile radio with this type of housing.
The housing is unlocked with a special flat wrench, on one end of which is incorporated an inclination and detent. To enable unlocking, one each of these flat wrenches is introduced on each side into a channel until a catch on the detent spring sliding up the inclination snaps into the detent. As the nose of the detent spring catch slides along the inclination of the flat wrench, the detent spring retracts into the housing. The automobile radio may now be removed from the mounting frame or mounting slot. To install the automobile radio, it is pushed into the mounting frame or mounting slot such that the two detent springs are first pressed into the housing and then expand behind the mounting frame to lock the automobile radio in place.
In the case of the automobile radio disclosed in German Patent 196 14 781 A1, the detent springs are depressed and locked by the flat wrench against detent edges of the mounting slot to ensure secure seating of the housing in the mounting slot.
One disadvantage of this known automobile radio is that its installation and removal require special tools, such as the known flat wrenches.
In addition, the automobile radio should be securely locked in place after insertion in the mounting slot so that in the event of a collision, especially one involving a rear-end collision of the motor vehicle, it is not ejected from the mounting slot and can not act as a projectile that could injure the occupants of the motor vehicle, possibly fatally.
Therefore, there is a need for a housing for installation in a mounting frame or mounting slot whereby the housing automatically locks in place after insertion into the mounting slot, and neither the installation nor the removal of the housing requires special tools.